Ventilation control



April 26, 1938. w. w. EAGER VENTILATION CONTROL Filed Nov. 28, 1934 f]? Van/0r HZ WEqger Patented Apr. 26, 1938 PATENT o-rrica 2,115,330 VENTILATION CONTROL Wesley W. Eager, Venice, Calif. Application November 28, 1934, Serial No. 755,183

9 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in windows and has particular reference to improved means for controlling ventilation through awindow of the type of construction disclosed in my copending application Serial Number 667,627,

filed April 24, 1933, now Patent No. 2,069,435,

which is adjustable to control air-flow through the aperture. The louvres are operable simultaneously by an operator connected to all; and since the louvre frames are removably mounted either by being pivoted or merely loosely set into their respective apertures, each louvre is connected to the operator by a mechanism which is freely disengageable to permit withdrawal of the frame from the aperture.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel type of adjustable louver for use with the Window construction hereinabove described, but which represents an improvement over the louvre disclosed in the said copending application.

A more detailed object is to provide a ventilation damper wherein the entire device is adapted to be removed from operative position within the associated ventilating aperture, thereby permitting easy access to the opposite face of the window, and yet which includes an adjustable flow regulator which remains at all times connected to the operating means which is disposed'at a remote point, preferably concealed within the window frame.

A further object is to provide a novel construction of the louvre blades whereby are gained manifold advantages such as rigidity and strength of construction, economy of manufacture, ease and quietness of operation, efficiency with respect to control of air flow therethrough, and the valuable feature of excluding a large proportion of street noise without impairing efficiency of air flow.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel type of counterbalan'cing device whereby ease of operation is enhanced and whereby the louvres are caused to remain in any selected position of adjustment without fastening.

Still another object is to provide a ventilation controlling damper possessed of all the above described advantages, and yet so constructed that it interferes with a minimum of horizontal vision through the window.

With the object of the preceding paragraph in view, a still further object is to provide a modified form of ventilation-controlling damper for a window of the character indicated, which, in order to interfere with vision through the window to an even smaller degree is composed of transparent material.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the. foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of my invention Which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to'the showing'm'ade by the said drawing and description, as I may adopt variations of the preferred form within the scope of my invention as. set forth in the claims.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through a ventilation controlling damper em bodying the principles of the present invention, and a portion of each of the two adjacent window frames. 0 Figure 2 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view taken upon the line 2-2 of Figure 1, showing the manner of interconnection between the operator and the adjustable louvre blades.

Figure 3 is a slightly enlarged view similar to Fig. 2, but taken upon the line 33 of Fig. 2 with the direction of view as indicated.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken upon the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 with the direction of View as indicated to show the manner of mounting of the counterbalance.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of damper member.

In terms of broad inclusion, the ventilator control of the present invention comprises a damper member associated with a ventilating aperture and pivotally mounted so as to permit withdrawal of the entire damper member from operative position within the aperture. to afford access to the opposite face of the window. The damper member is provided with means regulable to control flow of air through the aperture, which control means is always connected to its operator regardless of the position of the damper member, this being effected by means of a rotary shaft disposed coaxially with respect to the damper member. This shaft is connected to the regulable element of the damper and to an operating member which is common to all of a plurality a plurality of panes or sashes 6, I, rigidly mounted at their ends in a suitable frame, a portion of which is indicated at 8' in Figures 2 and 3.

, These panes are in vertical alignment, but instead of being in vertical planes, they are tipped jto inclined positions as clearly shown in Fig- I6 of the window possible.

ure 1. Preferably the direction of inclination of each pane is upwards and inwards toward the room or other enclosure with which the window construction is associated. The lower 'edge ll of the upper pane 6 of each two adjacent panes is spaced in a substantially horizontal direction fromthe upper edge I2 of the pane 1 immediately therebelow, thus defining a ventilating aperture therebetween." I A damper member, indicated in its entirety a M, is associated with each aperture in l3, and is mounted therein in such a manner as to permit of its ready removal from operative position therein, 'so as to make access to the outside face This is accomplished by mounting the ends l1 of the damper member upon axially aligned tubular pintles 8 with respect to which the damper member [4 is free to rotate. Each of these pintles 18 extends through and is rigidly secured to one of the vertically extending side members IQ of the window frame 8. This permits movement of the damper member M from its closed position, illustrated in full lines on Figure l, to its withdrawn position, indicated in dashed lines at 2! upon the same figure, the axis about which the damper member I4 turns being disposed adjacent one side edge of the ventilating aperture l3. When the damper member is in withdrawn position, the major portion of the-aperture-l'ii is unobstructed, thereby permitting a person to thrust his arm through the aperture and giving access to the outer face i 6 of the pane 1 below that aperture for the purpose of cleansing and the like. When in operative. position, the dampermember is supported at its ends upon flanges 22 extending horizontally'from the window frame 8. Preferably a strip 23 of felt or other cushioning material is disposed upon the upper surface of each supporting flange 22, so as to reduce the noise coincident with moving the damper member I4 to operative position, and to establish a more nearly air-tight seal between each supporting flange and the portion 24 of the louvre frame M which is supported thereby- The damper member I4 is composed of two parts 26 and 21. The portion 26 is capable of movement onlyabout the axis of the pintles I8 whereas the part 21 is capable of movement toward and away from the part 26, as will be explained more fully hereinbelow.

The upper part 26 of the damper member I l.

to each other by being secured to and preferably 75 integral with the ends I? which engage the pinof the sheet into planes inclined with respect ,thereto, thereby defining a louvre construction presenting a series of long, narrow orifices 3 I. At the same time that the louvre blades 28 are thus formed the ends I! are struck into perpendicularity with the body of the sheet, thereby presenting end flanges adapted to be .engaged easily upon the pintles i8 and the contact flanges 24 are formed at the lower edges of the flanges ll. Along the inner and outer sideedges 32 and 33, respectively, of the upper damper member 26, reverse flanges 34 and 36, respectively, are formed. The inner flange 34 defines a channel 31, extending along the inner edge of the damper member and opening downwards so as to engage the upper edge l2 of the lower pane l. The flange 36 at the outer edge of the damper member is similarly shaped but defines a channel 38 which opens upwards to engage the lower edge ll of the upper pane 6., Within the bottom of each of these channels 31 and 38 a cushioning strip 39 of resilient material is provided which makes not only for quieter operation of the device but also establishes a tighter seal between the damp.- er member and the proximal panes 6, 1.

The lower damper member 21 is constructed in substantially the same manner, i. e., it is preferably struck from a single flat sheet of metal 1 by forming lines of severance extending longil tudinally thereof and extruding the metal which lies between these lines so as to form louvre blades 4| in spaced, parallel relationship, these blades being rigidly supported by end flanges 42 formed at the ends of the blank from which the member is formed. The lower member 21 is suspended below the upper member 28 by preferably four links 43. Each of the two links proximal to the inner edge of the damper is pivoted at its upper end as by a pin 44 to the upper damper member 26, preferably to one of the end flanges H, and its lower end is similarly pivoted as by a pin 46 to an end flange 42 of the lower member 21. This manner of suspending the lower member 21 upon a plurality of parallel piv-.

oted links'permits'movement of thelower member 2'?- in arcuate, translatory motion from its I open position, illustrated in full lines uponLFigure 1, to its closed position, indicated in dashed lines at El upon the same figure. It will .be ob-- served that when in its closed position each blade 4! of the lower member 41 vmakes contact with the lower edge of one of the blades 28 of the upper member 26 and with the upper edge of the next adjacent blade 28, thereby effectually closing the orifice 3| between those two blades 28. However, when in lowered or open position,

each blade 4| of the lower member 21 makes contact along its upper edge with the lower edge of an upper 28, whereas the lower edge of each blade 4| is spaced materially from the-upper member 28, thereby leaving the orifice 3| open and permitting flow of air through, as indicated byv the arrow F on Figure 1. 7

Since flow through the damper is not in a straight path but in a more or less sinuous path, street noises will be excluded to a very material extent without seriously impeding flow of air.

This advantage is enhanced by providing strips 56 of sound-dampening material, such as felt, upon the under faces of the upper louvre blades 28.

The links 43 which are proximal to the outer edge 33of-the upper damper member 26', instead of' being mounted upon pins, as are the inner links .43, are made rigid with a shaft 5'! which is non-circular, preferably square, in cross section and which extends through. and is rotatable with respect to the aligned tubular. pintles 18'. At least oneend, say the end 58, of the shaft 51. extends far enough beyond the associated pintle l8 to receive a plurality of counterweight units BI, 62, one of which is provided with a lever arm 53 (see Figure 4) pivotally connected, as by pin 64, to a vertically extending operating rod 56. These parts are so proportioned and arranged that longitudinal reciprocation of the rod 68 .will cause the shaft 5'! to rotate through approximately 60 degrees, carrying with it the links 43 which are mounted thereon. In this manner the lower member 21 of the damper I 4 will be moved upwards and to the left to its closed position. Preferably the two suspension links 43 at each end of the damper member are interconnected by a horizontally extending link 61 to insure thatall links turn through the same number of degrees.

Therod 66 extends vertically inside the window frame where it is concealed from View and where it is adapted to be connected to the shaft 58 of each of the dampers hi, it being understood that a plurality ofsuch dampers are employed in each window. Thus it may be understood that by proper manipulation of the rod 66 by any suitable operating means, such as a handle or lever (not shown) extending through the frame 8 to an accessible position, all of the dampers l of the window may be operated simultaneously.

In order to obtain maximum efliciency of operation with respect to facility of movement and absence of noise, I have found it desirable to employ the counterweights El and 62. These two counterweight members could be constructed as a single unit if it were not desirable to make allowance for various sizes of damper l4. That is to say, since different lengths of the damper members should be provided to accommodate windows of different widths, and since a longer damper member will require heavier counterweights than one of smaller dimensions, I find it desirable to employ different types of counterweights. The counterweight 62-is intended to counterbalance the operating rod 66, and since this rod will be of the same size for any width of window, the counterweight 62 can be of standard dimensions. It is, however, provided with a weight portion H opposite the shaft 57 from the lever arm 63, the result being that the weight of the rod 66 is diametrically across the axis of the shaft 51'from the center of gravity of the counterweight 62. However, the other counterweight BI is intended to counterbalance the lower, movable louvre member 21, and since these will be of different weights, as determined by the width of the window to be'accommodated, the counterweight BI is built up of a number of units 13, the number of which is determined by the weight of the particular louvre member 27 which is to be counterbalanced. One of these units I3 is provided with tubular bushing '15 through which extends a hole '54 which is complementary to the cross sectional configuration of the shaft 51, thereby permitting the appropriate number of the units 13 to be slipped under the shaft 57s when the device is assembled. Obviously,.-these units 13 are placed onthe shaft in such position' that their respective centers of gravity are at their highest position when the louvre member 2? is in its lowest position, and since the, aim

is to employ enough of the units 13 effectually to Since the shaft 5'! is the sole means of interconnection between the operating rod 66 and that portion of the damper M which is adjusted in order to control rate of air flow, and since the axis of this shaft coincides with the axis of the pinltes l8 about which the entire damper l4 swings, it becomes obvious that the entire damper can be withdrawn from operative position indicated in dashed lines at 2| without the necessity of disconnecting the damper from its operator. Moreover, because of the free suspension of the lower member 27 this manipulation of the entire damper M can be effected without regard to the position of the lower member 21 withrespect to the upper member 28. I

If it is desired to screen the window, each of the apertures l3 may be provided with suitable screening l6, preferable upon the upper face of the upper louvre member 26, in which position it will protect the entire louvre member by. providing a flat surface upon which objects can be laid and where it will prevent small articles from dropping between the louvre blades to fall outside the building.

Attention should be directed to the efficiency of the hereinabove described construction in excluding water. Any water running down the outer face of the pane 6 is prevented from flowing into the room by capillary attraction because the side l? of the trough 36 extends upwards materially from the bottom 18 of the trough and any water which is entrapped Within thetrough is permitted to escape through weep holes which are provided at suitable locations throughout. the length of the trough 36. Inasmuch .as the stationary louvre blades 28 slope'upwards and outwards, they serve efiectually to prevent water from being blown into the room by sudden gusts of Wind. I

Another advantageous feature of ventilationcontrolling shutter of the present invention is that it is of such design that it avoids the necessity of using binding strips for the edges of the panes 6, 1. In this manner, the amount of opaque material in the entire window assembly is materially reduced, and accordingly the degree of visibility through the window is considerablyenhanced.

Whereas ordinary plate glass will in most in stances be perfectly satisfactory, it may in some installations be desirable to use panes 6, 1, within which metal wires 19 are embedded adjacent'andparallel to the edges of the. panes. These will reinforce the panes against breakage and chipping, and also, in the event of breakage, hold thepieces together and prevent their falling out of the windOW frame.

Figure 5 shows a modified form of ventilation controlling damper 8i intended for use with the same type of window construction to control flow' of air through the ventilating aperture 82"between approximal edges of sloping panes 83 and anism (not shown), whereby rotary motion of the entire blade 86 from its full line position to its dashed line position may be attained. The outer edge 89 of the transparent blade 86 is preferably curved downwards slightly and is provided with an edging 9| of suitable resilient material, such as rubber, whereby when the device is in closed position a substantially waterand air-tight seal is established between the blade 86 and the lower edge 92 of the upper of the two associated panes 83.

. Mounted-upon the'same pintles 88 but through the expedient of separate flanges 96 is a frame 91 carrying a screen 98 which is adapted to remain stationary when the blade 86 .is turned to open position. The inner edge of the frame 91 carries an inverted trough 99, adapted to engage the upper edge llll of the lower of the two associated panes 84 and a strip I02 of suitable resilient material is disposed in the bottom of the" immediately adjacent the trough 99 in position to I claim:

1. In a shutter for controlling flow through a ventilating aperture, a frame pivotally mounted within said aperture and adapted to be withdrawn therefrom by swinging about the axis of its pivotal mounting, said frame defining an opening, means carried by said frame for closing said opening, and means rotatable about said axis of said frame for'operating said closing means.

2. In a shutter for controlling flow through a ventilating aperture, a frame pivotally mounted within said aperture, means on said frame defining a' louvre, movable means on said frame for opening and closing said louvre, and means rotatable about the axis of pivotal movement of said frame for operating said movable means.

3. In a shutter for controlling flow through a ventilating -aperture,ja frame pivotally mounted within said aperture, means on said frame defining a louvre, meansmovably mounted on said frame for opening and closing said louvre, operating means, for said opening and closing means 4. In a ventilation-controlling device, a pivot ally mounted frame, damper means on said frame adjustable to regulate fl'ow therepast, an operating member for adjusting said damper means from a remote point and comprising a shaft journaled coaxially with respect to said frame,

means actuated by rotary movement of said shaft for actuating said adjustable means, and means for turning said shaft.

5. In combination, a window frame, a pair of sashes mounted'therein and spaced apart to define a ventilating aperture therebetween, a louvre frame, tubular pintles pivotally mounting said louvre frame upon said window frame within said aperture, a louvre on said louvre frame adjustable to control ventilation therethrough, a shaft extending through at least one of said tubular pintles and rotatable with respect thereto, means connecting said louvre to said shaft whereby said louvre is adjusted by rotary motion of the shaft,

frame, tubular pintles pivotally mounting said louvre frame upon said window frame within said aperture, a louvre on said louvre frame adjustable to control ventilation therethrough, a shaft extending through at least one of said tubular pintles and rotatable with respect thereto, means connecting said louvre to said shaft whereby said louvre is adjusted by rotary motion of the shaft,

means for turning said shaft, and means for l counterbalancing the weight of the movable portion of said louvre;

7. In combination, awindow frame, apair of sashes mounted therein and spaced apart to de-- fine a ventilating aperture therebetween, a louvre frame, tubular pintles pivotally mounting said louvre frame upon said window framewithin said aperture, a louvre on said louvre frame adjust-r able to control-ventilation therethrough, a shaft extending through at least one of said tubular pintles and rotatable with respect thereto, means connecting said louvre frame to said shaft whereby said louvre is adjusted by rotary motion of the shaft, means for turningsaid shaft, and,

means for counterbalancing the weight of said turning means and the movable portion of said louvre.

8. In combination, a window'frame a pair of sashes mounted therein and spaced apart to define a ventilating aperture therebetween, a, louvre frame, tubular pintles pivotally mounting said louvre frame upon said window frame within said aperture, 2, louvre on said louvre frame adjustable to control ventilation.therethrough, a shaft-extending through one of said tubular pintles and rotatable with respect thereto, means-connecting said louvre to said shaft whereby said louvre is adjusted by rotary motion of the shaft, means for turning said shaft, and means for counter-'.

balancing the weight of the movable portion of said louvre, said counterbalancing means being 9. In a shutter for controlling flow through an aperture, a frame movable with respect to said aperture, flow-controlling means carried byand movable with respect to said frame, operating means remote from said aperture, and means operatively connecting said operating means to said flow-controlling means in all positions of said frame.

WESLEY W. EAGER.

do" I 

